West Ham assistant manager Stuart Pearce has reportedly spent his Bank Holiday Sunday scouting Anderlecht midfielder Leander Dendoncker for a second time, according to reports in Belgium.

According to Het Nieuwsblad, Pearce was in the stands at the Jan Breydel Stadium in Bruges for Anderlecht's 2-1 victory over Club Brugge, the second time the Hammers coach has been to watch the midfielder/defender.

The first time was back in January when Dendoncker played at centre half against Genk whereas this time around, the Belgian international lined up in midfield.

West Ham have had a long-standing interest in the midfielder and tried to swoop and sign him in January but didn't stump up enough cash for the player and the move fell through on deadline day.

Read More

Reports in Belgium claim the Hammers are making Dendoncker a prime target this summer as well having secured Premier League survival at the weekend thanks to a 2-0 win over Leicester City and Southampton conceding a 96th minute equaliser at Everton.

The report in Het Nieuwsblad, Anderlecht's new owner Mark Coucke has promised Dendoncker a much-wanted move this summer, one year after his best mate Youri Tielemans was allowed to leave for Monaco but the Dendoncker found his exit path blocked.

Read More

Crystal Palace are also keen on a move for Dendoncker, who was also linked to Manchester United last summer but it seems the Irons are ready to strike early to seal a move for the player, who made it clear he would be happy to join the Hammers when a move was mooted in January.

Keep up to date with the latest news, features and exclusive from football.london via the freefootball.london app for iPhone and Android.